Where: Osaka, Tokyo, and Hokkaido, Japan

Format: In-person

Theme: Indigenous IMPACT—Climate. Culture. Commerce.

What: IMPACT celebrated the talent and creativity of Indigenous Peoples from six Pacific and Arctic jurisdictions – Canada, Australia, Alaska, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan. The week-long program included a cultural showcase of Indigenous fashion designs and other arts at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. There were also stops in Hokkaido and Tokyo with opportunities for cultural exchange and business-to-business (B2B) meetings which brought together Indigenous Canadian women entrepreneurs with businesses in Japan to promote gender-inclusive trade, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and catalyze international partnerships between Canadian companies and businesses in this key market. 

When: August 4 to 8, 2025

Who: We encouraged all Indigenous women and non-binary entrepreneurs whose businesses aligned with the eligibility criteria for this mission to apply. We especially welcomed Indigenous applicants from traditionally under-represented groups, such as (but not limited to) people with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+, and young entrepreneurs. 

2025 marked the return of World Expo to Japan. With just five years remaining to meet the United Nation’s deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan offered a critical global platform to accelerate progress. This initiative – centred on supporting Indigenous women entrepreneurs, fostering international co-operation through trade, and advancing climate action – directly promoted gender equality, climate solutions, and peace and justice. By convening Indigenous women leaders from around the Indo Pacific and Arctic regions, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan strengthened partnerships that advanced economic reconciliation and built a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future.

Japan ranks amongst the safest, most advanced, and most prosperous economies in the world. With world-class advantages in the fields of technological innovation, health care, and environmental solutions, Japan’s modern economy is home to both market-shaping industry leaders and diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems. Supported by a vibrant culture of art and innovation, Japan also boasts some of the world’s most creative startups, SMEs, incubators and accelerators, and supportive institutions. For Canadian entrepreneurs looking to take the next step through international collaborations and partnerships, Japan represents an opportunity to build new bridges across the Pacific.   

Potential opportunities for Canadian Indigenous women entrepreneurs are not limited to prospective partnerships. Ample demand exists for Canadian companies looking to market their products abroad. As beneficiaries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canadian businesses enjoy preferential access to Japan’s highly lucrative consumer markets. These advantages are bolstered by Japan’s recent commitments to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and the country’s decades-long dedication to providing a safe and supportive environment for the world’s most elderly population. 

In terms of specialization, Canadian Indigenous women entrepreneurs excel in producing goods and services that meet a wide range of modern Japanese market demands. Among these goods and services are clean energy and carbon capture solutions, circular economy solutions, emissions reduction technologies, medical devices, and eldercare solutions. Japan’s population continues to age, and Japanese consumers continue to confront new environmental pressures – connecting with innovative firms and solutions that can help preserve quality of life is increasingly important. As the global economy adjusts to significant disruptions wrought by the current U.S. administration’s sweeping new international tariff regime, APF Canada’s women-only business mission to Japan could not have been better timed to help Canadian entrepreneurs explore new opportunities in a key partner economy in the Pacific. 

• To drive positive economic impacts for Indigenous communities by presenting global trade and investment opportunities that reconnect Indigenous trade relations disrupted by colonization.
   
• To facilitate the exchange of knowledge about the diverse and connected impacts of climate change on Arctic Circle and Pacific Indigenous Peoples.
   
• To promote sustainable trade practices that respect Indigenous rights and cultures, and develop collaborative strategies to enhance resilience to the ongoing environmental impacts of climate change.
   
• To showcase Indigenous talent and innovation in creative industries across the Pacific and Arctic on the global stage at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.

Benefits for selected entrepreneur delegates include individualized B2B matching, curated networking, and promotional opportunities. There is no fee to participate as an entrepreneur delegate. This APF Canada program is supported in part by the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund. 

Expenses covered by the program: 

• Round-trip economy class airfare to/from Japan, plus domestic travel within Japan as required for the official program
• Airport tax and facility fees
• Accommodation, ground transportation between official program events and locations, and meals during the official program in Japan
• Admission fees for scheduled activities in Japan that are part of the official program 

The following expenses are not covered by the program: 

• Travel between the participant’s home and the designated airport of origin, and any excess baggage fees incurred during the program
• Overseas travel insurance – participants are responsible for their own medical expenses in Japan
• Loss or damage to personal belongings
• Travel upgrades or extensions to the official program 

Please note: Participants are responsible for all personal expenses, including a passport valid for and beyond the period of travel, travel vaccinations, travel to/from the designated Canadian airport, accommodation and meals in Canada, data plans and/or other telecommunications charges, and purchase of personal items/souvenirs prior to or during the program. 

Successful applicants will be required to participate in all components of the mission, including:  

•    Pre-mission training meeting(s) 
•    All scheduled B2B meetings 
•    All official program events as scheduled by the organizer 

Eligible applicants must operate: 

• A Canadian headquartered company
• An Indigenous women-owned and/or women-led business* (founders of the company applying must retain some portion of ownership)
• A for-profit organization such as an individually operated business; a partnership; a social enterprise; an incorporated company, corporation, co-operative, or an Indigenous organization
• A small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) with fewer than 500 employees

Eligible businesses must 

• Be export-ready and have demonstrated potential to succeed in Asian markets
• Have a commercialized product or service or one close to being commercialized
• Have conducted research on foreign markets and opportunities
• Have allocated resources (human, material, time, and financial) toward internationalization 

The following are ineligible to apply as entrepreneur delegates: 

• Not-for-profit organizations, and
• Government entities 

Priority will be given to entrepreneurs who: 

• Have generated revenues (sales, capital investment, etc.) exceeding C$100,000 per year for the past three years
• Have made efforts to localize their product or service for an international market (not necessarily in Asia)
• Have developed proprietary technology with the potential for long-term competitiveness
• Are defining their primary product/market fit and establishing reasonable pricing models with a sales strategy/pipeline
• Have not participated in previous women-only business mission series led by APF Canada 

* For the purposes of this program, please note: 

• “Indigenous women” is inclusive of individuals from Indigenous communities in Canada – including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit – who self-identify as women. For the purposes of this program, this includes cisgender women and transgender women, as well as gender-diverse individuals, such as Two-Spirit, non-binary, gender-fluid, and gender nonconforming people. “Cisgender” refers to someone whose gender corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth. 
   
• “Women-owned” is defined as an enterprise where one or more women own and have owned the majority of the company (more than 50%) for at least two years. 
   
• “Women-led” indicates an enterprise with at least one woman founder or co-founder in an executive leadership position who, for at least two years, has had ownership in the company and has been in a position to control and manage the operation and daily business of the entity and plays an active role in strategic decision making. “Active role in strategic decision making” indicates said woman is involved in decision-making relating to the establishment of priorities, objectives, and goals for the overall operations of the business.   

For mission inquiries, please contact: 

A.W. Lee, PhD 

Director, Inclusive International Trade, 

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Central Canada Office 

205-375 University Ave. 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2J5 

a.w.lee@asiapacific.ca